Disqualification of 5 K'taka MLAs upheld Bangalore: The Karnataka High Court has upheld the disqualification of five Independent MLAs from the Assembly in October 2010. The five Independent MLAs - Gulihatti Shekar, D Sudhakar, PM Narendra Swamy, Venkataramanappa and Shivaraj Tangadagi - had been disqualified by Karnataka Assembly Speaker KG Bopaiah for rebelling against Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa while they were ministers in his Cabinet.

The three-judge bench of Justice Mohan Shantangouder, Justice S Abdul Nazeer and Justice AS Bopanna unanimously upheld the October 10, 2010 order of Bopaiah disqualifying the MLAs. The Speaker had disqualified them after they decided to vote against the Yeddyurappa government during trust vote.

However, the Independent MLAs are planning to challenge the court's order in the Supreme Court.

"We will move the Supreme Court now," said Prashant Kumar, lawyer for the Independent MLAs....more    
05:07 PM, Feb 14, 2011